Plainfield OKs short-term goals for five-year plan

Among the goals of Plainfield's new five-year plan is to improve signage entering the village at Main Street and Illinois Route 59. (Geoff Ziezulewicz, Chicago Tribune)

Plainfield trustees on Monday approved action items to be done next year for the town's five-year strategic plan, a document drafted with resident input earlier this year that will help guide how the town will grow.

Within the five-year plan lie specific one-year tasks within the realms of transportation/community connections, business and retail development, community life/identity and village infrastructure.

A goal under transportation, for instance, is to increase the number of bike paths and sidewalks in Plainfield by 2018.

The one-year action item for the next year for this goal is to prioritize areas for improvement and perform a gap analysis of existing bike paths and sidewalks, according to the plan.

Another objective within the community life/identity category aims to create a dynamic, historic and vibrant downtown by 2018, according to the plan.

For 2013-2014, efforts will include hosting a series of downtown design workshops between the board, planning and historic preservation commissions before staff complete the central area plan.

One 2018 objective under the business and retail development section of the five-year plan is to expand marketing promoting commercial opportunities on Illinois Route 59 and Interstate 55.

Among the one-year action items is to establish a series of meetings with Chicago's leading commercial brokers on the opportunities along the Route 59 corridor.

The five-year plan, available online at the town's website, is intended to be a living document that will evolve as goals are met and the years progress, trustees said Monday.

"It's a beautiful, working document," Trustee Jim Racich said. "We can look at this strategic document and say, 'can this be done? Yes it can.'"

In other board news Monday night, trustees voted to increase the amount of a facade grant for a professional office building at 15028 S. Des Plaines St.

The original grant was for $11,000, according to town records.

The building's owner, an attorney, originally said he could do the renovation work himself, but has now returned to the town saying he will need to contract it out, according to Village Planner Michael Garrigan.

Monday's vote will increase the grant amount by $4,321.50, for a total grant amount of $15,312.50, according to village documents.

The board also voted to authorize the purchase of a 2014 Ford F-250 pickup truck for the public works department.

The truck will be purchased from Rod Baker Ford for $22,556, which was the lowest proposal offered to the town, according to Public Works Director Allen Persons.

The board also green-lighted allowing Life Touch Church to open a place of worship in an existing 2,500 square-foot suite at 24119 Riverwalk Court.

The applicant has operated an office in the building for a number of years and will hold services on Sunday morning, as well as a Wednesday night Bible study.